==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH == 
BWA-NH Rail Trails home page
A dream of having old rail corridors serving the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians for transportation, exercise, commuting, recreation, and tourism received a major boost in recent months. Multiple projects are underway and BWA-NH is very pleased to report the progress and help when and where possible. With major support from the State of NH, community-based organizations, businesses, and residents along the rail trails, New Hampshire is starting to "connect the dots."
See
the rail trail index page
for descriptions and updates of individual rail trails.
NH Rail Trail News, February 2012
Much activity is underway around the state. Below is a summary of some details concerning the Manchester to Lawrence corridor which is part of entire Salem to Concord Bikeway Study approved by NH DOT in 2003. Note that three rail trail groups along the M&L corridor are working together under the name of the Southern NH Rail Trail Alliance so as to coordinate efforts and to speak with one voice. Londonderry is expected to join SNHRTA in late 2011. The larger statewide NH Rail Trail Coalition encompasses some 22 rail trail organizations for similar goals. While each group is independent and works within their own budget and staff, BWA-NH is the facilitator to help these organizations maintain contact with each other and to collectively deal with the state at all levels.
February 2012 Updates:
Work
continues on the Methuen Rail Trail by the Iron Horse Preservation Society.
They have the benefit of a mild winter (so far) with little snow so progress
is being made almost every day. For the most current news on this project,
visit the Methuen Rail
Tail Alliance web site.
January 2012 Updates:
Construction started on Methuen Rail Trail - Salem next! After years of working in the background to clear paperwork hurdles, on December 19 President Joyce Godsey and other members of the Methuen Rail Trail Alliance welcomed the Iron Horse Preservation Society (IHPS) to start construction of the rail trail along the old Boston and Maine Manchester-Lawrence corridor. The crew started at the Salem NH/Methuen MA town line and will develop the trail to Lawrence MA - and at no cost to the City of Methuen or anyone else. The rails will be "re-purposed" for distant projects, the ties trucked for safe disposal in Pennsylvania, the rail bed will be graded, a trestle will be decked, and a surface of "T-Pack" (recycled asphalt) will be applied. Work will continue through the winter as weather allows. Once this project is complete, the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor Committee working with the Southern NH Rail Trail Alliance hopes to obtain approval of NH-DOT to have IHPS start in Salem. Details are being resolved but the estimated start date in Salem is April 2012.
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Iron
Horse Preservation Society starts work on the Methuen Rail Trail
along the Manchester & Lawrence corridor, December 19, 2011.
And for some trivia...
Rail
removal along the M&L corridor in Methuen provided a close-up of the
"Weber joint bars". Made by the Richard Weber Co. in the early 1900's,
the bars included a wood insert to save steel. The creosoted hard wood
was generally in good condition, even to the point of being able to read
"WEBER" embossed on some of the wood. (Photos by Dave
T.)
A
new bridge under the Windham Rail Trail
about 3/4 mile south of the Windham Depot parking lot was completed in December
so the popular trail is now open for winter activities. Connectivity of two
Spruce Pond housing developments required the new bridge construction which
severed the trail for about two months.
With the Derry Rail Trail being paved
from Bowers Road to Windham Depot, biking and walking on a paved surface is
possible from downtown Derry at Hood Park to Roulston Road, Windham (behind
Cyr Lumber Co.). The remaining unfinished 0.6 mile in Windham crosses the
Route 111 bike-ped bridge and ends at the Salem line behind the Cycles Etc.
bike shop where a new trail-side parking lot will be developed beside Route
28.
Londonderry Trailways is seeking to continue
development of the Manchester-Lawrence rail trail corridor by having IHPS
help build the very scenic section between Route 28 (Mammoth Road) and Harvey
Road (adjacent to the Manchester Airport). Some obstacles must be addressed
and overcome, most concerning paperwork and finances, not construction issues.
While this section would not immediately connect to other paved sections of
the M&L rail trail, it would serve as a useful trail unto itself for bike
commuters living along Mammoth Road and Route 28 going to work on Harvey Road
and other companies adjacent to the airport.
From Lawrence to Manchester, there is
a lot of progress underway on rail trail development with the obvious goal
of connecting all sections as envisioned in 2003 by the NH-DOT "Rizzo
Study" for the Salem-Concord Bikeway.
December 2011 Updates:
A
new $2.3M rail trail bridge in Keene crossing Routes 9, 10, and
12 on the Cheshire Rail Trail was started in September after being in the
works for over a decade. Called the "North Bridge", various groups
pulled together to secure funding from multiple sources; Pathways for Keene
alone donated $100K with money raised from fundraisers over ten years. The
need for a safe crossing of the three busy roads was highlighted on November
29 when a man was struck and killed by a NH-DOT truck when he attempted to
cross. The need for a "South Bridge" in Keene crossing equally busy
roads and connecting sections of the Ashuelot Rail Trail was stressed to NH-DOT
by Charles Martin, NH-RTC President.
A
new bridge under the Windham Rail Trail about 3/4 mile south of
the Windham Depot parking lot is nearly complete so the popular trail will
be open for winter activities. Connectivity of two Spruce Pond housing developments
required the new bridge construction which severed the trail for about two
months. A "new look" will await all rail trail users: fewer trees
but a new bridge and road under the trail instead.
Other rail trail news includes the Derry Rail Trail Alliance (DRTA) announcing
the completion of paving two-miles of their trail from Bowers Road to Windham
Depot thanks to the Town of Derry and many local contributors. Trail users
must go "up and over" Bowers Road or use the six-foot diameter culvert
to make that crossing until funds are available to install a full-width 12-foot
box culvert, about a $400K job which may be covered under a TE grant. The
new section provides users to enjoy a paved rail trail from downtown Derry
to the Windham Depot to Roulston Road, just 0.6 mile from Salem. That remaining
0.6 mile of the Windham Rail Trail goes over the new Rt. 111 bike-ped bridge
and should be paved next year under a TE grant awarded in 2010. Trail-side
parking at the southern terminus near Range Road and Route 28 (Windham-Salem
town line) has been approved.
Other rail trail news includes the Derry Rail Trail Alliance (DRTA) announcing the completion of paving two-miles of their trail from Bowers Road to Windham Depot thanks to the Town of Derry and many local contributors. Trail users must go "up and over" Bowers Road or use the six-foot diameter culvert to make that crossing until funds are available to install a full-width 12-foot box culvert, about a $400K job which may be covered under a TE grant. The new section provides users to enjoy a paved rail trail from downtown Derry to the Windham Depot to Roulston Road, just 0.6 mile from Salem. That remaining 0.6 mile of the Windham Rail Trail goes over the new Rt. 111 bike-ped bridge and should be paved next year under a TE grant awarded in 2010. Trail-side parking at the southern terminus near Range Road and Route 28 (Windham-Salem town line) has been approved.
NH
Rail Trails Coalition (NH-RTC) fifth annual conference was held
November 12, 2011 in Concord at the SHC-NNE / BWA-NH office, 57 Regional Drive.
Rail trail organizations and advocates from around the state participated
and learned a lot about recent developments, projects, and funding issues.
Speakers from the City of Keene, Carl Knoch of the Rails to Trails Conservancy,
and Larry Keniston of NH-DOT presented much useful information. A special
guest, Joe Hattrup, CEO of the Iron Horse Preservation Society, was able to
answer questions about how his organization can build a basic rail trail at
no cost to anyone. (The NH-RTC is affiliated with BWA-NH.)
Methuen (MA) Rail Trail Alliance (MRTA)
finalized paperwork with the City of Methuen and the Iron Horse Preservation
Society (IHPS) to build their section along the M&L corridor - at no cost
for the basic rail trail. A ceremonial ground breaking photo-op by the MRTA
was held on December 3 with actual work to be done during the winter as weather
allows. BWA-NH has been coordinating efforts between IHPS, Salem, and NH-DOT
to have similar work performed in NH, hopefully starting in Salem right after
IHPS completes work in Methuen.
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Methuen
Rail Trail Alliance members announce the start
of construction in December 2011.
November 2011 Updates:
NH Rail Trails Coalition (NH-RTC) annual conference was held November 12, 2011 in Concord at the SHC-NNE / BWA-NH office, 57 Regional Drive. Rail trail organizations and advocates from around the state will participated and learned a lot about recent developments, projects, and funding issues. Keynote speakers came from the City of Keene plus Carl Knoch of the Rails to Trails Conservancy. Joe Hattrup, CEO of the Iron Horse Preservation Society, attended the conference to share ideas and network with about 30 attendees.
Londonderry Trailways has contacted NH-DOT about the rail remaining on their section of the M&L corridor and whether it could be used for an Iron Horse rail trail construction project. An inventory of the rail was taken by NH-DOT on October 28; next comes the value assessment. Meanwhile, Londonderry has outlined their plans for building the trail in segments as documented in their brochure.
The
Salem Bike-Ped Corridor,
part of the Salem to Concord project and envisioned Granite State Rail Trail,
took another step forward when NH-DOT inventoried the rail components in Salem
along the Manchester and Lawrence corridor on October 28. As a result of discussions
with Salem Community Development Director Bill Scott, NH-DOT will assess the
value of the rail and components. The Town remains hopeful that an arrangement
can be worked out for a construction operation that would remove the rail
and ties while simultaneously creating a hard-pack trail to create bicycle
and pedestrian connectivity along portions of the M&L railroad corridor.
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Salem
section of the Manchester-Lawrence railroad corridor
just north of Willow Street, October 28, 2011.
NH-RTC Board members met with NH-DOT Commissioner Chris Clement on November 2 to discuss the importance of rail trails in NH, major accomplishments of working with NH-DOT, current issues, and how our volunteer groups can best work with the Department for the best results with the least funding.
October
2011 Updates:
The Friends of the Northern Rail Trail in Merrimack County (FNRT-MC) recently resurfaced 2.5 more miles of rail trail at the West Franklin end of the rail trail extending its length that much closer to the ultimate goal of Concord, N.H. Thanks to a recent N.H. state Recreational Trail Program grant, the city of Franklin and lots of volunteer help, the rail trail in Merrimack County now reaches from the Grafton/Danbury town line to Webster Place in Franklin, a full 25.3 miles of wide and smooth rail trail with no more than a 1% grade change throughout.
With approximately 9 more miles of rail trail building to go, FNRT-MC is hoping to finish the job beginning with a major fundraising effort. Anyone interested in assisting either with trail maintenance or fundraising is encouraged to visit the rail trail website www.fnrt.org to contact the organization.
Manchester Moves donated $74K to the City of Manchester for use as the local TE match for the new Piscataquog River Bridge which will connect the west side of Manchester to the Goffstown Rail Trail. Dean Williams, Bob Dastin, and Greg Bakos took part in the presentation to the city which drew a standing ovation from the audience. Congratulations to all involved in this fundraising effort!
$74,000
check being awarded to the City of Manchester
by Manchester Moves, October 2011
Derry
Rail Trail Alliance (DRTA)
is pleased to announce the two-mile section of their trail from Bowers Road
to Windham Depot is now paved thank to the Town of Derry and many local contributors.
This provides a paved rail trail from downtown Derry to the Windham Depot
to Roulston Road, just 0.6 mile from Salem. That remaining 0.6 mile of the
Windham Rail Trail goes over the new Rt. 111 bike-ped bridge and should be
paved next year under a TE grant awarded in 2010. Trail-side parking at the
southern terminus near Range Road and Route 28 (Windham-Salem town line) has
been approved.
Windham Rail Trail is temporarily severed
about 3/4 mile south of the Windham Depot parking lot for a new bridge being
constructed under the trail for a road to connect house lots owned by the
same developer on both sides of the trail. The temporary detour on rough trails
and town roads is not considered usable except by mountain bikers. Construction
of the bridge should be completed by December.
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Roadway
being cut through Windham Rail Trail, October 2, 2011
Note the fiber optic cable suspended in space.
Photos by Mark Connors (camera date incorrect)
Methuen (MA) Rail Trail Alliance (MRTA)
is actively working with the City of Methuen and the Iron Horse Preservation
Society (IHPS) with the contract signed on October 20. Actual construction
of the rail trail is expected to start in November -- and at no cost for the
basic rail trail. BWA-NH has been attempting to coordinate efforts between
IHPS, Salem, and NH-DOT to have similar work performed in NH; hopefully right
after IHPS completes work in Methuen.
September 2011 Updates:
Derry
Rail Trail Alliance (DRTA) announces
a two-mile section of the Manchester-Lawrence corridor between Windham Depot
and Bowers Road in Derry is to be constructed starting September 19 with a
target completion date of mid-November. This will provide a paved rail trail
from Hood Pond in downtown Derry to Roulston Road at the south end of the
Windham Rail Trail, just 0.6 mile from the Salem NH border. The total paved
distance will be approximately 7.5 miles.
Salem NH is working with NH-DOT and the
Iron Horse Preservation Society to develop sections of the rail trail in Salem
at no cost. The aspect of having a basic rail trail built for the value of
surplus or scrap rail is so different from the typically bidding process that
innovative agreements must be created and approved by all parties including
the NH Attorney Generals Office. Details are being worked with excellent support
from NH-DOT and Salem, but the process takes time. Salem wishes to have agreements
in place so that when Iron Horse works on the M&L corridor in neighboring
Methuen MA they can continue north into Salem while the crew and machinery
are in the area.
Londonderry Trailways is seeking approval
to remove approximately one mile of old rail just south of the Manchester
Airport. The remainder of the M&L corridor in Londonderry and all of Derry
is devoid of rail. This means Iron Horse cannot help on the sections without
rail, and any sections with rail must first be reviewed and approved by NH-DOT
before any rail is exchanged for rail trail construction services.
South Manchester Rail Trail which runs
parallel to Route 28 past Nutts Pond to Gold Street is to be extended to Goffs
Falls Road next year thanks to a CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality)
grant. Construction will include repair of a huge wash-out (a "slide")
caused by drainage culverts that were not kept clear since trains stopped
using the corridor maybe 40 years ago. The next section to the south will
go over the Little Cohas Brook Trestle to Perimeter Road, around the airport
to Harvey Road which then connects to Londonderry and south to Salem. Of course,
"when" is the question!
August 2011 Update: The NH Rail Trails Coalition (NH-RTC) annual conference will be held November 12, 2011 in Concord at the SHC-NNE / BWA-NH office, 57 Regional Drive. Rail trail organizations and advocates from around the state will participate and learn a lot about recent developments, projects, and funding issues. Keynote speakers are expected to be Keene Mayor Dale Pregent and Carl Knoch of the Rails to Trails Conservancy. The draft program may be viewed here. (NH-RTC is affiliated with BWA-NH.)
Friends
of the Northern Rail Trail - Merrimack County
recently released three detailed maps (links below) of their section of the
Northern Rail Trail plus a general map of the complete 46-mile trail from
Franklin to Lebanon. Parking areas and rest room facilities are included on
these maps which may be downloaded from their web site www.fnrt.org
or on the rail trails page of this BWA-NH web site. Also, the "Golden
Spike Ceremony" on July 31 was a success as that event marked the connection
of the Merrimack County section to the Grafton County section of the rail
trail allowing the full 46 mile trail to be useable all four seasons of the
year. Congratulations to all involved in making this longest rail trail in
NH a reality!
NRT
map - Overview of complete 46-mile rail trail and facilities
NRT
map - Franklin area
NRT
map - Webster Lake to Potter Place
NRT map - Potter
Place to Danbury
July 2011 Update: The Derry Rail Trail Alliance (DRTA) announced
the section of their trail from Bowers Road to Windham Depot should be paved
by October. This will provide a paved rail trail from downtown Derry to the
Windham Depot to Roulston Road, just 0.6 mile from Salem. That remaining 0.6
mile of the Windham Rail Trail goes over the new Rt. 111 bike-ped bridge and
should be paved next year under a TE grant awarded in 2010. Trail-side parking
at the southern terminus near Range Road and Route 28 (Windham-Salem town
line) has been approved.
Also,
the Methuen (MA) Rail Trail Alliance (MRTA) announced work along the old Boston
& Maine Manchester to Lawrence rail corridor leading into Salem is expected
to start in September with services provided by the Iron Horse Preservation
Society (IHPS) - at no cost for the basic rail trail construction. BWA-NH
has been attempting to coordinate efforts between IHPS, Salem, and NH-DOT
to have similar work performed in NH; hopefully right after IHPS completes
work in Methuen. Use and Occupany Permits have been requested from NH-DOT
by Salem as the first step to allow IHPS to work in New Hampshire. The permit
will also include the M&L Londonderry section as Londonderry Trailways
has joined the Southern NH Rail Trail Alliance.
June 2011 Update: A five-way meeting between
representatives from BWA-NH, NH-DOT, Iron Horse Preservation Society, Methuen,
and Salem resulted in agreement for a Use and Occupancy Permit Application
to be filed by Salem to work on the M&L corridor in Salem and Londonderry.
Bill Scott from Salem drafted the application using a template provided by
NH-DOT. We expect the application to be approved as the folks at NH-DOT were
actually asking for it.
May
2011 Update: Paperwork
for the Derry-Windham-Salem tri-town TE grant for $1.2M as awarded in 2010
continues to move forward but a pace not likely to see any construction until
2012. Users of the paved sections of the Derry and Windham rail trails can't
wait until the centers of Derry and Salem are connected. For the same Manchester-Lawrence
railroad corridor extending south through Salem and into Methuen, MA, discussions
are underway between the Methuen Rail Trail Alliance, City of Methuen, Iron
Horse Preservation Society (IHPS), NH-DOT, and the Town of Salem with BWA-NH
helping to arrange critical meetings in Concord. The concept of IHPS building
a useable rail trail at no cost in exchange for old railroad is a new concept
for New Hampshire so new guidelines must be established before any work is
done. At this time, IHPS is likely to start work in Methuen this summer and
would certainly benefit all parties concerned if they are allowed to continue
north along the M&L corridor into Salem. Our June BWA-NH update will carry
news of the meetings, hopefully with good results to report.
March 2011 Update: A meeting between the
NH Rail Trail Coalition, NH-DOT, FHWA, and BWA-NH concerning how Transportation
Enhancement funds are spent on rail trail projects was arranged by the NH-DOT
Bureau of Planning and Community Development.
The meeting was very helpful to BWA-NH and NH-RTC to understand the pressures on the Department of Transportation and what can and cannot be done on alternative transportation TE projects. Clearly the paperwork and regulatory burdens are monumental. Rail trail groups need to be sensitive to those burdens and work to ease them where possible. In some cases, the TE mechanism may not be the ideal way to get rail trail work done. But for some projects, TE is the only funding source large enough for the project that is required. The meeting would have been particularly worthwhile if some of the cost saving ideas we presented could enter into the discussions of future projects.
Submitted
by: Charles Martin, President, New Hampshire Rail Trails Coalition
December
2010 Update: The
proposed Granite State Rail Trail got a boost from a National Parks Service
assistance grant and publicity via the Valley News in the Hanover area.
See the article which appeared
on November 27, 2010. The combination of the Manchester & Lawrence corridor,
the Northern Rail Trail, and a connection between them is the "Granite
State Rail Trail" as proposed by the NH
Rail Trails Coalition.
November 2010 Update: The fourth annual meeting of the NH Rail Trail Coalition members and guests was held at the BWA-NH Concord office on November 13. Approximately 30 people attended with the key note speaker being Craig Della Penna, a nationally recognized authority on rail trails who now operates a realty business specializing in properties along rail trails. The many rail trail groups attending the meeting gave 5-minute "mini-talks" on the status of their project along the proposed Granite State Rail Trail and the Winnipesaukee Trail, challenges faced, and accomplishments in the past year. A number of attendees who represented other trails did not have a chance to make presentations but ample time was allowed for networking during extended breaks and after the meeting. Encouragement and support were offered by Dean Williams of the Manchester Moves organization while David Preece of the Southern NH Planning Commission reviewed the involvement of the State of NH at the regional level. The all-day meeting allowed for ample networking time as NH-RTC makes plans to accomplish even more in 2011. Communications, publicity, and working with the entire NH bike-ped community were felt to be key action items and will be continued next year. Please visit the NH-RTC web site or contact Charles Martin via the site for more details. (NH-RTC is an affiliate of BWA-NH.)
The following photos show the November 13 meeting attendees viewing the key note address given by Craig Della Penna. Much was learned, and we thank Craig for all his support and information.
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Craig
Della Penna at the November 13, 2010 NH-RTC annual meeting
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NH-RTC
members and guests attentively viewing Craig's presentation (1
of 3)
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NH-RTC members and guests attentively viewing Craig's presentation (2 of 3)
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NH-RTC members and guests attentively viewing Craig's presentation (3 of 3)
October 2010 Update: A ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 7 marked the opening of Phase II of the Winnipesaukee River Trail. This section of trail was the first "rail with trail" approved in the state. The trail sits in the railroad corridor which the State currently leases to the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad. The trail association together with the WOW trail in Laconia, the Department of Transportation (NH-DOT), the Clark family who owns the railroad, and the Town of Tilton/Tilton Selectman put a great deal of effort into resolving technical, safety and liability issues so the trail could be constructed. The trail also parallels the Winnipesaukee River Basin Project (WRBP) sewer line. The WRBP and the Department of Environmental Services has also worked collaboratively with NH-DOT and the trail association to move the trail forward. The Winnipesaukee River trail will now be a 5.1 mile multi-use pedestrian trail that parallels the river between downtown Franklin and Route 140 near Exit 20. The 3.1 mile Phase I (Franklin to Northfield) section was completed in 2005. For more info, contact Ken Norton or Lauren Noether at winirivr@myfairpoint.net.
September 2010 Update: The NH Rail Trails Coalition announced the fourth annual conference will be held on Saturday, November 13, 8:45 am to 3:45 pm, at the BWA-NH Concord office in the Safety & Health Council suite, 57 Regional Drive # 6, Concord NH 03301. Admission of $30.00 includes lunch. For more info, please visit www.nhrailtrails.org.
August 2010 Update: Rail trail users come in all sizes and shapes using different means of non-motorized travel. Walkers, runners, roller bladers, and even wheelchair users take advantage of the smoothly-paved surface along the M&L corridor. On August 8, 2010, Salem Town Manager Henry ("Hank") LaBranche and his wife Pam were riding their bikes on the Windham Rail Trail when they met Viola Topham in her wheelchair being pushed seven miles by her son, Dave Topham. Two wheels, four wheels, or no wheels, rail trails are "For everyone, everyday." (A quote from the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor committee.)
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Viola
Topham in wheelchair with Pam and "Hank" LaBranche
riding their bikes on the Windham Rail Trail, August 8, 2010
"Old News" in case you missed it!
July 2010 Update: The Granite State Wheelmen bicycling club offered $25,000.00 via ten $2,500.00 grants to the 22 NH rail trail groups. Applications were received, scored, and the winners were notified on June 10. Presentation of the awards were made at the BWA-NH Concord office, 57 Regional Drive, Suite 6 (in the SHC-NNE section) on July 29. All rail trail supporters, bicyclists, and guests were invited to attend the 7:00-9:00 PM event. Snacks were provided by the GSW.
The winners of the $2,500.00 grants are:
Derry Rail Trail Alliance
Friends of Northern Rail Trail, Merrimack County
Friends of the Goffstown Rail Trail
Friends of the Salem Bike Ped Corridor
Londonderry Trailways
Milford Conservation Commission
New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway
Pathways for Keene, Inc.
Windham Rail Trail Alliance
WOW
Trail
More rail trail news
The Windham Depot project is nearly complete and the very unique "union station" looks great from the outside. This station served two rail lines crossing at a 45-degree angle so the building was constructed with platforms serving both lines -- a most unusual design!
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Windham Depot Station, June 19, 2010
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Windham Station (vents added) and Freight Shed, July 31, 2010
And let's not forget the fully-restored Salem Depot Station, about six miles south of Windham on the M&L corridor.
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Salem Depot Station, February 22, 2010
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Salem Depot Station, platform view, and looking toward Methuen. MA, August 14, 2010
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Details
of Salem Depot Station including ADA-compliant access ramp
and granite post light (no lamp as yet), August 14, 2010
TE Grant approved for sections of the Salem-Concord Bikeway
The
long-planned Salem to Concord Bikeway received a major boost via a $1.272M
grant from the Transportation Enhancement program. The communities of Derry,
Windham, and Salem will be able to build a paved rail trail connecting to
the existing and well-used trails in Derry and Windham. See recent
newspaper article for details. BWA-NH is pleased to have helped coordinate
the many months of proposals, meetings, and paperwork which resulted in the
grant being awarded. With only $6.4M available to the entire state for two
years and serious competition for that money, being awarded nearly $1.3M is
a major victory. Details will be forthcoming soon.
June 2010 Update: The long-planned Salem to Concord Bikeway received a major boost via a $1.272M grant from the Transportation Enhancement program. The communities of Derry, Windham, and Salem will be able to build a paved rail trail connecting to the existing and well-used trails in Derry and Windham. See recent newspaper article for details. BWA-NH is pleased to have helped coordinate the many months of proposals, meetings, and paperwork which resulted in the grant being awarded. With only $6.4M available to the entire state for two years and serious competition for that money, being awarded nearly $1.3M is a major victory. Plans call for a two-mile Derry section to be completed first, this connecting downtown Derry to Windham Depot and the full 3.5 miles of the Windham Rail Trail. Next to be paved will be the 0.6 mile section of the Windham trail, over the new Rt. 111 bridge, down to the Salem town line and a trail-side parking lot. The Salem section will extend the trail from the Windham line to Salem's North Broadway Cross with part of the trail to be adjacent to Rt. 28 in the area of Wal-Mart. Negotiations are underway with other options to build more of the Salem bike-ped corridor heading south toward Methuen, Mass.
May 2010 Update: On May 15, a ribbon cutting ceremony in Lakeport officially opened a new one-mile segment of the WOW Trail along the westerly shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Issues concerning insurance, rail-with-trail liability, and a fence seemingly required to separate future trail segments from the track used by a scenic railroad have yet to be resolved.
April 2010 Update: The NH Rail Trails Coalition is comprised of some 22 individual rail trail groups has been working with NH-DOT, NH-DRED Bureau of Trails, and local organizations to promote the development of connected rail trails within NH. The most recent development involves Londonderry Trailways, Manchester Moves, and the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in determining how to route the old Manchester to Lawrence corridor around the airport. With local leadership from Londonderry, a walking tour along the perimeter of the airport was conducted on March 27. The proposed route will be formally presented to the airport and NH-DOT (owner of the corridor) in April. The route around to airport, and potentially connecting to the terminal, is a key link in the Salem to Manchester rail trail, that being part of the NH-DOT Salem to Concord Bikeway as proposed in 2003. The NH-RTC has proposed including this project in the overall Granite State Rail Trail which someday could have connectivity to many areas of the state beyond the immediate Salem to Manchester communities. BWA-NH is helping to facilitate NH-RTC and the individual rail trail organizations to see this concept become a reality.
On November 14 the third annual NH Rail Trail Alliance meeting was hosted by BWA-NH. Some 30 people representing 21 rail trail groups attended the six hour session with much learned and discussed. Representatives from NH-DOT and DRED were also available to answer questions. More details are provided on the press release for your review and distribution.
And on October 31, a guided tour of the Derry and Windham rail trails was conducted by the Derry Rail Trail Alliance and the Windham Rail Trail Alliance while BWA-NH provided some additional details about the entire M&L corridor and rail trail advocacy underway around the whole state. Details of this tour are provided here.
On October 28 BWA-NH coordinated a second and similar tour, basically from Derry to Manchester including the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. This was a very wet day but the only date key players would be available for the rest of the cycling year. Notes are provided here.
A July 22, 2009 tour involving NH DOT and local rail trail groups from Salem, Windham, and Derry was coordinated by BWA-NH. Notes from this all-day tour are provided here.
Reference items and links
Master
BWA-NH Rail Trails Index
for all known NH rail trails. Index is provided in town sequence.
The NH Bureau of Trails offers information about facilities including rail trails and hiking trails. Check out their web site for details.
Statewide Rail Trail map was created by
NH-DOT in April 2009. The
PDF file is downloadable here.
The Manchester-Lawrence corridor as being
developed into a multi-use paved rail trail by Methuen, Salem, Windham, Derry,
Londonderry, and Manchester may be reviewed in detail using Google
Earth satellite views. The following link which highlights the original
rail corridor was created by Mark Connors, VP of the Derry Rail Trail Alliance.
Here is the direct "Tiny URL" link: http://tinyurl.com/ygx8bh3
Charles
Martin's
excellent book NH Rail Trails covers many aspects of rail trails in
the Granite State. Please visit his web
site for more info about his book: http://www.nhrailtrails.org/
The national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy offered a link to www.traillink.com, the Conservancy's trail finding web site. Under NH there are a number of trails that have interactive Google maps available. Descriptions of the trail directions and links to the management organization web site are provided if there is one.
This
information was kindly provided by:
Carl Knoch
Manager of Trail Development
Northeast Regional Office
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
2133 Market Street, Suite 222
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011
Phone: 717-238-1717
Fax: 717-238-7566
E-Mail: carl@railstotrails.org
For a schedule of known meetings by the
various NH rail trail organizations, please see the BWA-NH
Calendar page.
Help us make this rail trail section more useful
This
rail trail section is "under constant revision." Inputs from the
respective organizations, newspaper articles, maps, and photos are desired.
Comments, updates, and corrections are welcome! Contact BWA-NH at info@bwanh.org
or call 603.898.9926.
Please submit via email any additions, updates, corrections, links, or limited
photos to help promote your rail trail project and share ideas with others.
By working together we can make a lot more progress than working alone, and
to work together those involved need to know what is happening around the
state - and maybe in your neighboring town. Let BWA-NH help publicize your
project and garner support from the public. There is no cost for this service
- we just want to make good things happen! Here is how to contact us:
BWA-NH email address:
info@bwanh.org
Phone:
603.898.9926
Postal
mailing address:
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH
57
Regional Drive, Suite 6
Concord, NH 03301-8518